article. 10:25). However, numerous difficulties have been urged on grounds other than that of physical possibility. Verse 11 is the end of the second letter. And (8) she persecutes Christians the saints and . Contemporary English VersionIf you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. God will use this sign to communicate something to John and to us. 19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Distinctive between Revelation 2:17 and Revelation 3:12, is that one receives the name written on a white stone and the other upon his person. 4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make: you have less love now than formerly. Nm 25:13; 31:16; 2Pt 2:15; Jude 11), the Nicolaitans in Pergamum and Ephesus (Rev 2:6) accommodated their Christian faith to paganism. A conception is only contrary to reason when the mind can recognize that its elements are mutually exclusive, and therefore involve a contradiction in terms. Stay up to date with the latest news, information, and special offers. It could be a reference to the manipulation by certain Jews and Jewish leaders of gentiles into persecuting Christians. . This identification, however, was denied by other Fathers, including Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom. * [2:2] Who call themselves,impostors: this refers to unauthorized and perverse missionaries; cf. That doctrine teaches us that man by the abuse of his free will has rendered his attainment of salvation difficult. Retail: $24.99. Revelation - Chapter 2. The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman is sitting. [Martineau, it is true, denies that we possess faculties either to receive or to authenticate a divine revelation concerning the past or the future (Seat of Authority in Religion, p. 311); but such an assertion is arbitrary and extravagant in the extreme.] I suggest this because the name of Jesus proclaims His humanity and His divine mission to seek and save the lost. If over and above this He decreed to make the attainment of beatitude yet easier for man by placing within his reach a far simpler and far more certain way of knowing the law on the observance of, which his fate depended, this is an argument for the Divine generosity; it does not disprove the Divine wisdom. This distinction is of importance: for while the Church recognizes that God has spoken to His servants in every age, and still continues thus to favor chosen souls, she is careful to distinguish these revelations from the Revelation which has been committed to her charge, and which she proposes to all her members for their acceptance. Could this new name, whether its written on a stone,writtenupon a Christian, or written on Kingdom Jews, be Jesus new name as He spoke of in Revelation 3:12 (My newname). The throne-room scene in Rev 4-5 has spawned a number of "Worthy" songs. 821; Amos 4:1, 6:1), which might be why the seven heads also symbolize seven kings. It is the name above all names for the time in which we live. The principle is, however, sometimes applied with a less extensive signification. Certainly the schools of philosophy would not have enabled them to do so; for many of these denied even such fundamental principles of the natural law as the personality of God and the freedom of the will. Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clot hed in fine linen, white and clean. June 2023. 15Likewise, you also have some people who hold to the teaching of [the] Nicolaitans. Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth. 16 So repent, or I shall soon come to you and attack these people with the sword out of my mouth. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. One would find it difficult and repulsive to visualize a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes; yet Jesus Christ is described in precisely such words (Rev 5:6). 19I know your works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and that your last works are greater than the first. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but . The new name might indicate ourworthiness to enter intothe Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the Millennial Kingdom. 16Therefore, repent. Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches: To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of my God. First, note that Jesus didnt say our names will be changed. Hence the Vatican Council teaches: In order that the obedience of our faith might be agreeable to reason, God has willed that to the internal aids of the Holy Spirit, there should be joined external proofs of His Revelation, viz: Divine works (facia divina), especially miracles and prophecy, which inasmuch as they manifestly display the omnipotence and the omniscience of God are most certain signs of a Divine revelation and are suited to the understanding of all (De Fide Cath., cap. ii, can. In that work he examines in detail the difference between a corruption and a development. Those who remain faithful will share in the messianic reign, having authority over nations (Rev 2:2627), and will in fact possess Christ himself (Rev 2:28). THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL This totally demolishes the claim that Christian Rome or Vatican City is the Whore. Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004, IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827 1021, etc. The angel tells John: And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled (17:1617). Since Jerusalem had no such line of kings in the first century, this gives us evidence that the Beast (though not the Whore) is Rome. Ps 78:2425. Psalm 25:14 The Lord is a firmament to them that fear him: and his covenant shall be made manifest to them. Who are the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation 2:6, 14-15? eceiving the new name will be a declaration that we are, Bearing the name of the King of kings, Lord of lords, we will be, with Jesus when He reigns and judges in righteousness. . 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels and pearls, and she was holding a gold winecup filled with the disgusting filth of her prostitution; 5 on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name: 'Babylon the Great, the mother of all the prostitutes and all the filthy practices on the earth.'. Revelation 16:19 and 14:8 have already declared Babylon's fall. (a) The immunity of the alleged revelation from any teaching, speculative or moral, which is manifestly erroneous or self-contradictory, the absence of all fraud on the part of those who deliver it to the world, provide negative internal criteria. It is widely known that there is only one church that claims to be the mother churchthe Roman Catholic Church. John 6:48-58 I am the bread of life. Among the pagans of the Roman Empire, the first day of each month was called "Emperors Day" in honor of the Roman Emperor. The origin of this erroneous doctrine is to be found in the fact that within the sphere of the natural speculative reason, truths which are received purely on external authority, and which are in no way connected with principles already admitted, can scarcely be said to form part of our knowledge. Please help us share God's truths and hope in Christ. 24 But on the rest of you in Thyatira, all of you who have not accepted this teaching or learnt the deep secrets of Satan, as they are called, I am not laying any other burden; 25 but hold on firmly to what you already have until I come. Revelation mentions that the name of Christ is written on the foreheads of the saints (Revelation 3:12; Revelation 14:1, and Revelation . Man, Catholic theology teaches, possesses the requisite faculties to discover the natural law. Revelation 2:7,11 He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches: To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of my God. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all Christians are called to trust in Jesus promise, Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Mt 28:20). However, some members of the church followed the teaching of Balaam, and others followed the teaching of the Nicolaitans. George Leo Haydock. 12To the angel of the church in Pergamum,* write this: The one with the sharp two-edged sword says this: Revelation 19:1-5 . Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. In the Kingdom Age, there will be flesh-born humans. Also the vision of the conquering King in Rev 19, the judgment in Rev 20, and the vision of heaven in Rev 21-22 have been particularly rich. Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you (John 15:1820). Such in brief is the account of Revelation given in the Constitution De Fide Catholica of the Vatican Council. It is a return to the errors of Baius. Here the world no longer opposed the church, instead . I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Here Scripture itself tells us that the heads referbothto seven mountainsandseven kings, meaning the symbol has multiple fulfillments. In the New Testament, this word describes the unveiling of spiritual truth (Rom. Is Ehyeh, Yahweh, Jehovah, or Jesus Gods Name? The human soul reaching up towards the unknowable God is ever endeavoring to interpret its sentiments in intellectual formulae. Or Should We Call Him Satan? Revelation 16. As regards the testimony of history, it is notorious that even the most civilized of pagan races have fallen into the grossest errors regarding the natural law; and from these it may safely be asserted they would never have emerged. Its simply biblical reasoning. Why is God going to give us a white stone with a new name? * [2:7] Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith and does Gods will in the face of persecution. And this correspondence with our vital needs is, they hold, the one sure criterion of truth. But it's so popular it ranked among the top pages viewed: Reasons for Hope* Jesus is donor supported. In fact, Revelation is a book in which all the great themes, seed plots, lines of doctrine and Bible prophecy find their fulfillment. . We need your help to keep our site ad-free. For men to be able to attain such a knowledge of the natural law as will enable them to order their lives rightly, the truths of that law must be so plain that the mass of men can discover them without long delay, and possess a knowledge of them which will be alike free from uncertainty and secure from serious error. According to this school, there is no such thing as Revelation in the sense of a direct communication from God to man. The return of Christ: Revelation 19:6-21: The marriage of the *Lamb . 7:18). I will also give each one a white stone with a new name written on it. Having been commissioned by Christ to write "the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this" (Rev. King James Version (KJV) Public Domain. . This sword, of course, is only symbolic. What significance do colors have in the Bible? There can be no question as to its necessity, if it be admitted that God destines man to attain a supernatural beatitude which surpasses the exigencies of his natural endowments. What Does it Mean to Taste and See that the Lord is Good? Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. iv) the words of Vincent of Lirins: Let understanding science and wisdom [regarding the Churchs doctrine] progress and make large increase in each and in all, in the individual and in the whole Church, as ages and centuries advance: but let it be solely in its own order, retaining, that is, the same dogma, the same sense, the same import (Commonit. The possibility of Revelation as above explained has been strenuously denied from various points of view during the last century. The theory, though less scholastic in its form than that of Franzelin, is in perfect conformity with orthodox belief. Why Did God Create Man Knowing MAN WOULD SIN? * (Cf. The lurid descriptions of the punishment of Jezebel (Rev 2:22) and of the destruction of the great harlot, Babylon (Rev 16:919:2), are likewise literary devices. * [2:1415] Like Balaam, the biblical prototype of the religious compromiser (cf. In this case, her sitting on the Beast would not indicate a geographical location but an alliance between the two powers. Every believer knows that overcomers won't be eternally condemned. 2:17 "New Name in Glory," by C. Austin Miles (1910) 4-5 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earths abominations. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Bibliografische Daten. Isaiah 56:4 For thus saith the Lord to the eunuchs, They that shall keep my sabbaths, and shall choose the things that please me, and shall hold fast my covenant: Isaiah 65:15 And you shall leave your name for an execration to my elect: and the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name. Another consists in the internal conviction felt by the soul as to the truth of the doctrine (Suarez, De Fide, IV, sect. His writings were put on the Index in 1857, and his erroneous propositions definitively condemned in the decrees of the Vatican Council. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. This commentary on Revelation will prove, contrary to what most people think, that the Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is not difficult to understand if we will take a simple, face-value, common-sense approach to interpreting it. It is freely asserted that a mystery is something repugnant to reason, and therefore something intrinsically impossible. (6) She is symbolically known as Babylon. The objection rests on a wholly exaggerated view regarding the powers of the human intellect. The principal divisions of the Book of Revelation are the following: Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. Acts 20:2930. This is a criterion which has often been applied with great force on behalf of the claims of the Catholic Church to be the sole guardian of Gods Revelation. Christs overwhelming defeat of the kingdom of Satan ushered in the everlasting reign of God (Rev 11:15; 12:10). * [2:17] The hidden manna: this is the food of life; cf. Revelation 17:2 in all English translations. +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004. Also, the mountains could be a reference to pagan Rome, yet the Whore could still be a reference to apostate Jerusalem. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which this book is an outstanding example. martyrs of Jesus.. In that case God must needs reveal alike the existence of that supernatural end and the means by which we are to attain it. 1 'Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, "Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who lives among the seven golden lamp-stands: 2 I know your activities, your hard work and your perseverance. the world hates you. These can but symbolize the Unknowable; they can give us no real knowledge regarding it. 10 Do not be afraid of the sufferings that are coming to you. He shows how a true and fertile idea is endowed with a vital and assimilative energy of its own, in virtue of which, without undergoing the least substantive change, it attains to an ever completer expression, as the course of time brings it into contact with new aspects of truth or forces it into collision with new errors: the life of the idea is shown to be analogous to an organic development. Women often represent religious systems in Revelation. If anyone shall say that no mysteries properly so called are contained in the Divine revelation, but that all the dogmas of the faith can be understood and proved from natural principles by human reason duly cultivatedlet him be anathema., The older (Deist) School of Rationalists denied the possibility of a Divine revelation imposing any laws other than those which natural religion enjoins on man. Thank you. If the Whore is Jerusalem and the Beast is Rome (with the ten horns as vassal states), then the prophecy makes perfect sense. Revelation 2:17 The New King James Version (NKJV) 17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Abraham's Bosom? I will tell you the meaning of this woman, and of the beast she is riding, with the seven heads and the ten horns. (2) the Modernist view (Loisy, Tyrrell). On the Lord's Day: When is the Lord's Day? The word translated "white" in Revelation 2:17 is leukos and can also mean "brilliant, bright." This interpretation holds that on the stone is written the name of Christ, not the name of the believer. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! * 17:15]. 200 B.C. Revelation does not cease to be such if God 's message is delivered to us by a prophet, who alone is the recipient of the immediate communication. It was, as the Church calls it, a depositthe faith once delivered to the saints (Jude, 3)for which the Church was to contend but to which she could add nothing. 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